Out of Control
by Artemis Fortuna
Summary: Lilly walker is used to being in control, it's in her nature. But when she collides with the one person who is immune to her power, sparks will fly. Logan/OC. M just to be safe.
1. Chapter I

**Out of Control**

**By Mrs. Chaos**

**A/N: This is my first shot at an X-Men fan fiction. I've read some of the comics, but most of what I write about will come from the movies. If I get something wrong, either tell me politely or not at all.**

**I am looking for a beta****, so if you're interested please let me know!**

**Anyway, enjoy chapter one. : )**

My name is Janae Sullivan, and I can control people's thoughts and actions.

Sounds sinister, right? "Who am I going to manipulate today?" I'm not _that_ criminal. Really, the most I've done is convince my landlord to let my rent pass for a month when my check came in late. Well, and those few instances where I was craving a Dr. Pepper and cajoled the cashier to give me a few. ...And the time I persuaded that police officer to not give me a ticket for speeding.

Maybe I'm more criminal than I thought.

But you know what the sad thing is? They never even saw it coming.

It's just that some temptations are overwhelming. Sometimes I can't resist convincing a bodyguard to let me into a club, then getting a few free rounds inside. Or sway my chemistry Professor into giving me an A on an exam I know I failed.

But one temptation I'm an expert at resisting is telling people. Only one person on this planet knows about me, and he took off a long, long time ago. I thought our love for each other was strong enough to withstand my secret, but I'd thought terribly wrong. He took off without even letting me try and explain that he's the only human being I'd never used my power on.

So I began picking up the pieces of the life I'd lost, only as a completely different person. I was no longer known as Janae Sullivan, but as Lilly Walker. I completely altered my appearance, turning my blonde hair a deep burgundy and covering my brown eyes with bright green contacts. I got a nose job, dropped about 30 pounds and three pant sizes. I moved from San Diego to Boston and began a new career as a model, made possible by my transformation. Despite my aching heart, I continued living under my new alias.

Everything was going just fine with my new life. I made enough to get myself a penthouse apartment, a new sedan, a Boston Terrier and still keep up with the designer fashions. I went to at least four or five photo shoots a week for a wide variety of events and met a lot of people I never think I'd even be in the same building with.

Then, one day, everything changed.

I was at a shoot themed 'Beauty and the Beast.' The female models were all dolled up in gowns and the male models were dressed as various bikers. We were sometimes posed on the bikes, sometimes on the bikers. The photographer was extraordinarily famous, someone I'd only dreamed of working with. I was itching for him to notice me on his own, without my help. [You see, I'd get more satisfaction out of that.] When it was my turn to pose, I focused my energy on my biker partner giving me a compliment loud enough for the photographer to hear.

Nothing happened.

I made an incredibly ugly face in surprise as the photographer snapped the first picture.

"Miss, get with the program or get out." He snapped and brought the camera to his face again.

I nodded, composed myself and did my best with the remaining time I had.

After we were done, I my eyes never left my partner. I followed him around the room, willing him to do a wide array of actions. First small things, like smile at a waitress or sip from his cup. Then, as I got more frustrated, bigger things, such as jumping out the seventh story window or stabbing a model with his toothpick.

I was exhausted with mental effort by the time he headed towards the door. My first instinct was to follow him out, but my logical side told me he was no big deal and to let him go.

I have a habit of ignoring my logical side.

I followed him out the door and caught up in time to get in the same elevator with him. He hit the button for the first floor and we began out descent downward.

_Ram your head against the wall,_ I commanded.

He stood perfectly still.

_Tell me I'm a hideous beast_.

Still no movement.

Who was this man? How was he immune to my power? As insanely frustrating as this was, it was just as much intriguing.

He exited the elevator and I paused a minute before following, putting more and more distance between us. I never stopped issuing commands, despite my growing exhaustion.

_Step in front of that taxi._

_Punch that glass window._

_Pull that girl's hair._

He never moved an inch in the direction I willed him to go.

Was my power depleting? Panicking slightly, I silently gave a man walking in front of me a demand. Immediately, he turned around and began walking in the other direction.

Hmmm. My power worked on others still… just not this man.

I continued following him as he took a left off of the street into an alley. I waited to follow, but turned the corner anyway, finding him now in deep conversation with a few other men.

Naturally, with my luck, the alley had a dead end… and the men heard me coming.

Suddenly the man wasn't so intriguing and the idea of running became very attractive. I was just turning to dart away, when a gruff voice spoke from behind me.

"Where you going, hun?" The man asked. "You not so interested in following me anymore?"

I created an air of confidence and turned. "You know what? You looked like someone I know, but I can see you're not." I moved to leave again.

"Well, why don't I introduce myself?" He said.

With a sigh of irritation, I turned again, saying, "Listen, I-"

I stopped. He was suddenly right in my face instead of the ten feet away he was just a second ago.

He smirked. "My name is Logan."


	2. Chapter II

**Out of Control**

**Chapter II**

**By Mrs. Chaos**

I woke up in my bed with a severe headache and no recollection of how I got there. My bedside clock informed me that it was just after midnight. I sat up slowly, crossed my legs under the covers and put my head in my hands.

"About time you woke up." A gruff voice spoke suddenly from beside me.

I jumped about a mile and tried to find a figure in the darkness. I fumbled with the lamp by my bed, scared to be in the dark too long. The lamplight revealed a familiar-looking man lounging in the loveseat across my room.

"What are you doing in my apartment?" I demanded, trying to sound brave.

"I had to make sure you'd wake up sometime," he said. "You passed out pretty hard and I'm pretty sure you hit your head when you collapsed."

"I- what?" I had no memory of passing out or collapsing.

"You don't remember?" He chuckled a little bit. "I knew I should've just left you."

I scoffed. "Well, thanks. Maybe you should have." I ran a hand through my hair. "So thanks for getting me home, uh-"

"Logan."

"Right, Logan. But I'm fine now, so you can skitdaddle."

He smirked. "I know what you can do, Lilly Walker."

I gaped at him for a moment before composing myself. "Of course you do, Logan. I'm a model. You were at the shoot last night." Surely he didn't know…right?

"Cut the bull, sweetheart." He said, standing and striding over to me. I stood, too. "I saw what you did to those men last night."

I honestly didn't remember what I did at all last night, besides the shoot. My heart was thundering in my chest. Had I killed someone?

"Oh, really? What did I do last night?"

Logan hesitated, judging my expression. I tried to appear confident.

"You don't remember, do you?" God, I'm horrible at projecting appearances.

I didn't reply.

He smirked. "Well, you followed me from the shoot. I have no idea why. I ended up meeting up with a few pals in an alley. You tried to dash. The guys I met up with weren't exactly the most gentlemanly type, and got a few bad ideas once they saw a girl like you dart into an alley. My friends started closing in but suddenly all three of them had very important business elsewhere and disappeared like clouds on a sunny day. Next thing I know, you're out cold on the ground."

Huh. I remember now. I couldn't control Logan like I could everyone else. In that moment, I willed him to start jumping on the bed. As expected, nothing happened.

Last night I'd pursued Logan to find out why I couldn't control his thoughts. After I turned into the alley, the three men advanced towards me. I guess I used a little to much mental power getting them away. That must be why I passed out.

"So what are you implying, Logan?" I asked. I wanted to hear him voice his assumption.

"You can control minds."

Well, damn.

I paused. "So what now?"

Logan's eyes met mine.

It wasn't until that moment that I gave him a full look-over. He had short, spiked, dark brown hair that matched his deep-brooding eyes. He wore a navy plaid button-up shirt over a white wife beater. Shredded blue jeans covered a worn pair of boots. For someone so suspicious-looking, he sure was attractive.

"I'd like to refer you to a friend of mine-" He started.

"Oh, no. I've had my share of shrinks, bud. They're all the same." I said. It was true. There's nothing mentally wrong with me.

"He's not a _shrink_." Logan said the work with distaste. "He's a good guy. He's smart; he could figure out more about your mutation."

"I do _not_ have a mutation." I said, my tone suddenly cold.

If there was one thing I hated more than not being able to control Logan, it was him calling me a mutant. I am not _mutated_, I am _gifted._ A mutant is a swamp monster or Frankenstein.

He sighed, rolling his eyes. "Do you have an ability?"

"We've established that."

"Then you're a mutant."

At that moment, I willed with every ounce of energy I had for Logan to walk out of my apartment and never come back. Naturally, nothing happened. Well, except for me falling back onto my bed with a sigh.

"Get out of my apartment, Logan." I said.

"First tell me why you were following me last night."

I groaned and threw an arm over my eyes. I really, _really_ didn't want to admit to my singular flaw, especially to someone as cocky as Logan.

"Go to hell."

"You know what? I've been there and back."

I sat up and glared across the room at him. "I'm going to go shower, Logan. You'd better be gone when I'm out."

He didn't move as he watched me walk into my bathroom. I locked the bathroom door behind me and rolled my eyes as I heard him chuckle to himself.

------ ----- ----- ------ ----- ----- ----- ----- ----- -----

I stepped out of the shower twenty minutes later feeling a lot calmer and relaxed. With Logan gone, I felt I could think more clearly.

After wrapping a towel around my body and hair, I picked a pair of skinny jeans, a black tank top and a pair of zebra flats out of my closet. I blow dried and straightened my hair, lined my eyes in black and added some foundation.

For a moment, I simply stared at myself. What did Logan see in me now? Did my green eyes look sinister to him now? They looked slightly darker to me.

My stomach started growling, and I took that as my cue to exit the bathroom. I entered my bedroom and dropped my used towels into my dirty clothes pile.

"Took you long enough." Logan's voice said, from the loveseat by my bed.

I jumped again. "God _damn it_, Logan!" I shrieked, turning to face him.

He was slouched casually on the loveseat, sipping some of my wine straight from the bottle. He didn't react at all to my outburst, he only watched me with an amused expression.

"Now that you're all cleaned up, there's someone I'd like you to meet" Logan said. "He's _not_ a shrink."

"Sorry, Logan, but I have a shoot to do in two hours and I need to be in NYC by one." I said.

"I rescheduled it."

"You did _what_?" I snapped, growing more and more angry and flustered with each moment. "Logan, what do you _want_?"

"A friend of mine just really wants to meet you, Lilly." His eyes were pleading. "He's a really good guy, I promise. I'm not leading you into anything dangerous."

I eyed him for a moment, contemplating.

"Alright, I'll go with you." Really, what did I have to lose? I'd started my life over once, I could do it again easily.

"'Atta girl, Lil." Logan said, smiling widely. "Let's get going."

I grabbed my purse, phone and car keys and locked my door before following Logan down the stairs leading to the street.

"First, Logan, _do not_ call me 'Lil.'" I said. "And second, who is this friend of yours?"

Logan looked straight ahead, smirking. "His name is Charles Xavier."


	3. Chapter III

**Out of Control**

**Chapter III**

**By Artemis Fortuna**

I followed Logan outside, closing my eyes for a minute to enjoy the cleansing sunlight. With my black purse in one hand and a duffel bag packed with essentials in the other, I felt as prepared as I could be for…well, whatever lay ahead of me.

"We're taking my car." I said. It wasn't a question and Logan on shrugged in response.

I climbed into the driver's seat of my '99 Lexus, setting my purse on the floor of the passenger's seat and my duffel bag in the backseat.

After starting the engine, I turned to Logan. "So where am I going?"

"Just head southwest on the highway. I'll give you directions as we go."

Short and simple. Stupid and vague. Why had I excepted something different?

Two excruciatingly long hours later, Logan and I pulled up in front of a huge mansion-looking university. During our trip, the sunny day had turned dark and cloudy. An ivy-cloaked sign read "Charles Xavier's School for Gifted Youngsters." I put the car in park and studied the massive wooden front doors with interest.

"So what now?" I asked, removing my keys from the ignition.

"Scott will park your car for you," Logan said, gesturing to a tall, thin man walking up to our car. He was wearing a pair of red-tinted shades, even though the sky was threatening rain. "And you can grab your junk and follow me inside."

With that, I grabbed my _junk_, handed my keys to Scott, who gave me a warm, reassuring smile, and I accompanied Logan inside.

Just inside the dark wooden doors was a hallway thriving with activity. Children and teenagers of all ages, sizes and, to my surprise, colors, were hustling around. Conversation and laugher floated above all of the commotion, creating an air of comfort and general happiness.

"Let's go meet the Professor, then." I said, watching a girl with lime green skin and cat ears walk past me.

With a gruff nod, Logan turned left down the hallway, sticking to the right hand side as you would a street. Not after long we turned into a room with large windows illuminating and even larger desk. Behind the desk sat a bald man wearing a casual suit, writing notes on a computer.

"Professor, this is Lilly Walker."

The man looked up quickly and granted me a warm smile. "Miss Walker, it is a pleasure to meet you," he said, his eyes twinkling with reassurance. "My name is Charles Xavier."

I walked over to his desk and extended my hand in greeting. He shook it gently, his eyes never leaving mine. After a moment, I took a step back, suddenly uncomfortable.

"Not to be rude, uh, professor, but why have you asked me to come? I can assure you it's a pleasure meeting you and you have a gorgeous facility, but Logan wouldn't tell me anything. I'd just-"

"Miss Walker, have you ever met a mutant besides yourself?"

My eyes narrowed. "I am not a mutant."

Xavier laughed, his blue eyes crinkling in the corners. "Oh, forgive me. I knew. Allow me to rephrase that. Have you ever met someone with a gift, besides yourself?"

"Not until your friend Logan began taking up residence in my apartment."

The Professor smiled. "I apologize for his brashness. I can promise you I did not ask him to be so bold. You'll learn that Logan has his own means of going about things."

"I'll learn? Professor, how long am I going to be here?"

"That, my dear, is up to you."


	4. Chapter IV

**Out of Control**

**Chapter IV**

**By Artemis Fortuna**

Professor Xavier gave me no answers, only a place to stay for the night. It wasn't yet night time yet, but he insisted and I didn't really feel like driving two hours home. Perhaps if I stayed, I might get some answers out of someone…one way or another.

After leaving the Professor's office, an attractive coffee-colored woman named Ororo offered to show me around the institute. She was very kind and graceful and looked almost goddess-like next to me as I stumbled around everywhere, trying to see everything at once. Her hair was white, though not because of old age. She seemed young, but slightly older than me. The shade added certain elegance to her appearance.

Xavier's school was a vast, sprawling building, filled not only with classrooms and laboratories, but also not-so-modest dorm rooms for faculty and students. When Ororo introduced me to mine, I was pleasantly surprised that I had my own rather large bathroom.

"I'm sure you'll be quite comfortable here, Lilly." Ororo said as she led me to the cafeteria for dinner. "The food is excellent, and you have all of your accommodations. Tomorrow Scott and I will go by your flat to pick up the rest of your belongings."

I stopped in my tracks, right in the middle of the empty hallway. All the students must be in the cafeteria already.

"I am not staying here, Ororo. I have no idea what the Professor wants with me and I have a job and a dog at home!" I was struggling not to get angry at the kind woman; it was not her fault I was in this situation.

With a gentle voice, she replied, "I can sympathize with your feelings, Lilly. But there are bigger things going on besides your job as a top-line model or your Boston Terrier at home. I know you take comfort in the little things like stopping for coffee on the way to a shoot, but you need to understand that you are a monumental part of the bigger picture."

I paused, baffled, staring at the dark-skinned woman in complete wonder. "How did you-? Are you a psychic?"

Ororo let out a hearty, tinkling laugh that reverberated throughout the hallway. I simply stared at her, completely confused.

"Oh, Lilly. I am gifted as you are, but I am no psychic," she said. "Professor Xavier has his own way of learning things. I'm sure he'll explain that soon enough."

_I also have my own way of knowing things…_

Still in a state of confusion, I followed Ororo into the busting cafeteria, formulating an ingenious plan.

Five years ago, I was madly in love. The man's name is of no importance; I do not speak it anymore. My hair was blonde, my eyes were brown. Compared to the gorgeous beach-bodies of San Diego, I wasn't really anything special.

I'd first met him at the university I worked at. I was an assistant biology professor. Professor Janae Sullivan, back then. I'm not sure why he was at the school that day, but I know that he impressed me completely. We went out to coffee at a quaint little shop right on the beach. He spoke to me of romantic ideas of freedom and love. His words put me under a spell and in a few short months we were engaged to be married.

I'd never known love until him. He completed me in a way that I didn't know was physically possible. I would come home from class to his welcoming embrace and his warm, sensual touch.

He was the one and only human being I'd never used my powers one. During the months of our engagement I almost forgot I even had my gift. I didn't need it.

Two weeks before our wedding we were relaxing on the beach together, basking in the last few rays of sun as it dipped below the horizon. He would draw his long nails up and down my bikini-clad back, tracing pictures of who knows what.

I had, for some weeks, been contemplating telling him about my ability. It was the one singular thing he didn't know about me, and I felt as if I was betraying him in some way by not telling him. I was terrified of being rejected and alone. With the wedding so close and all of our preparations all in order, I as scared I would be jeopardizing our special day. However, suppose I didn't tell him until afterwards. If he wanted to leave me we would have to go through divorce.

It seemed as if I didn't have much of a choice.

So on that evening as the sky began turning golden with late sunlight, I sat up on my towel and told him everything.

I followed Ororo into the cafeteria, nervously tugging on my black tank top. There were several long benched tables filling the room, most of which were occupied by children and teenagers and an occasional adult. Ororo lead me to the last table on the right hand side, where the only familiar face I saw was Logan.

"Hey there, Lils." He said, giving me a wink.

I gave him a tiny fake smile and took a seat between him and Ororo. Across the table from me was the man I remembered as Scott, still wearing his red sunglasses, even though we were inside. The possibility of blindness flashed through my mind. Next to him sat a girl who looked younger than me. Her hair was dark with a single white streak in the front where her hair was parted. She wore a look of boredom and her eyes were unfocused. On the other side of Scott sat a blue-skinned man with shaggy hair. I noticed quickly he only had three fingers and couldn't help shudder.

"Everyone, this is Lilly Walker." Ororo said. "This is Rogue, Scott, and Kurt." She gestured to the girl with two-tone hair, Scott and the blue man. "You already know Logan."

"Hey, Lilly." Kurt said with a thick German accent. "What's your gift?"

I was completely taken aback. They knew? I suppose having abilities wasn't exactly irregular compared to someone with blue skin, but I could hard grasp it sometimes.

Instead of answering, I turned to Ororo. "You never told me what you can do, Ororo."

Logan burst out a loud guffaw. "_Ororo?_ Ha! Storm, show her what you can do."

With a modest smile, Ororo's eyes turned milky white. The large panoramic windows that were alight with evening sunlight just moments ago were now covered in snow which was rapidly piling up. Before I knew it, the sunlight returned and the snow began melting away. The cafeteria burst into applause and I heard a comment like, "Not as good as the time she did a monsoon."

"Wow," was all I could say.

"It's fine to be speechless, Lilly." Scott said, laying a reassuring hand on my arm.

"We all have gifts here, Lilly," said Ororo as her eyes returned to their normal shade. "I hope that you've finally found somewhere you'll finally be accepted. Somewhere you'll finally call home."


	5. Chapter V

Out of Control

Chapter V

By Artemis Fortuna

After a delicious dinner of breaded chicken pasta, Logan escorted me back to my room. When we reached my door, I turned to him with my arms crossed.

"They had you walk with me because I can't make you do anything." I said. "They know I want answers."

Logan gave me a smirk. "Lils, you had all of dinner to make whoever do whatever."

"I wasn't going to manipulate someone like that in front of everyone! That would make me look horrible. Plus, you'd know what I was doing and interfere."

With a laugh, Logan turned to leave. "We're not forcing you to stay. This place isn't that bad…at first."

* * *

"I just can't to do this, Janae." He said, storming into our spacious apartment. He went into our room and pulled out the suitcases we bought to use on our honeymoon.

"Please, just don't leave-" I begged.

"You've kept this from me all this time?"

I dropped eye contact without a reply, instead turning to stare out at the ocean through our panoramic windows.

"I've never used them on you. I love you. I wouldn't do that."

"How do I know? How do I know my feelings for you are even real?"

I sighed and closed my eyes, willing myself not to cry. Tears formed and spilled down my cheeks regardless.

"Just…don't leave. Please. We can work this out." I whispered, still looking out at the beach.

He sighed. "I'm calling off the wedding. You can keep all of the gifts. I just need some…time." I felt his breath on my neck and the brush of his lips. "I love you."

When I turned around he was gone.

* * *

I shut my bedroom door behind me and let out a sigh. I had no idea what Xavier wanted with me. All I knew was that I was part of a "bigger picture." But wasn't everyone?

I walked over to my bed where my duffel bag had been set. From inside, I pulled out a pair of black shorts and a white tee shirt. I pulled by dark hair up into a pony tail. After double checking that my door was locked, I went into my bathroom and stared at my reflection.

I set up my contact case and removed my green contacts. The eyes underneath were light brown and filling with tears. The person I used to be was echoing loudly in my mind, and I wished nothing more than to shut her up. I wiped my eyes and cleared my throat. Moving forwards was the key to survival.

* * *

"I'm looking for a friendly, quiet dog." I said after the pet adoption agent greeted me. "One that isn't terribly needy but has a nice, unique personality."

The agent smiled. "I think I have a perfect one in mind. Follow me."

After going down a few corridors and entering a small courtyard, she asked me to sit down while she went to get my new potential companion. A few moments later, a white blur was unleashed and could be seen running everywhere.

"This is Candy."

I kneeled down on the ground and waited for the pooch to come to me. After a few minutes of sniffing around, Candy cautiously came up to me, sniffing my hand before giving it a friendly lick. I laughed and petted her head, but stopped in surprise when I saw her eyes.

"Her eyes-"

"Are completely unique. One blue, one pink due to what we think was ingestion of some toxins. She was found wandering around an alley about a week ago."

I scratched her eyes and rubbed Candy's back. "What kind of dog is she? She looks Boston Terrier, but don't they typically have black or brown on them?"

"She is a purebred Boston Terrier, but unique, again, because of her lack-of-spots or markings."

I smiled warmly as I decided if Candy was right for me. We both needed a new start, a new home, a new friend and a new life.

An hour and several adoption fees later, Candy and I were walking to my new apartment in New York City, two misfits off in search of a fresh start.


	6. Chapter VI

Out of Control

Chapter 6

By Artemis Fortuna

I woke up the next morning in a complete state of confusion. I had no idea where I was. I left the warmth of my bed and was heading to the bathroom when I noticed a note on the floor by the door, as if someone had slid it underneath. It small, neat cursive, it read:

"_Miss Walker,_

_If you would, please meet me in my office whenever convenient. If you need directions, I'm sure there will be someone friendly in a hallway. I hope you had a wonderful night._

_Sincerely,_

_-Charles Xavier"_

I folded the letter up and set it on my bed. With a sigh, I pulled out an outfit I'd packed and went to the bathroom. After slipping on a pair of black pants and a green baby doll top, I put in my contacts and pulled my brunette hair into a braid. Finally I grabbed my white flats and cell phone before heading out the door.

* * *

Two weeks after I adopted Candy, weird things began to happen. Not in a bad way, but the dog just seemed keener and smarter than any animal I'd ever known.

For instance, one day I was doing my hair and dropped my straightener on the floor without noticing. Before I stepped on it, Candy grabbed the cord in her mouth and yanked it out of the way, singeing her fur in the process.

Another time I was taking her for a walk and texting on my cell phone. We were crossing the street in a residential neighborhood and all of the sudden Candy takes me off guard and yanks me the rest of the way across the street. Not a moment later, a car came hurtling down the road. Later on the news I heard that someone's ex wife had cut their brakes.

And the dog always had peculiar taste. It took me a week to discover that she hates any form of pet food. She refused to eat everything I bought, no matter what brand. Then one night, fed up with her pickiness, I gave her some of a burger I grilled one night. She devoured that in a flash, practically inhaling the food. From that moment on, I always made an extra plate of whatever I ate. Also, every time I enjoyed a glass of wine, Candy would bark at me until I poured some into her doggy bowl.

All in all, Candy was a very intelligent, odd dog.

* * *

After wandering around for a while, I finally found a set of doors labeled "Professor Charles Xavier." I hesitantly knocked and eased open the door.

"Hello, Miss Walker." The Professor greeted me with his usual warm smile. "Thank you for visiting me."

I laughed awkwardly. "Well, it's not like I really had anyone- I mean anything else to do." Wow, smooth.

Xavier smiled. "Today, Miss Walker, you need to make a very important decision; whether to continue your life as it was or to help us here at the institute by becoming a member of the X-Men."

My brows furrowed. "What are the X-Men?"

"The X-Men are an elite group of gifted individuals who not only serve to protect the mutant race, but also the human. They work together to take advantage of their abilities to help others."

"I see," I said, taking a seat in a chair across from Xavier's desk. "So why do you want me to be a part of the team?"

"You are very powerful, Miss Walker-"

"Please, call me Lilly."

"As you wish. Your abilities have barely been unleashed, Lilly. You are capable of so much more."

I leaned back in the chair, crossing my arms, giving the Professor a speculative glace. "And how do you know what I'm capable of?"

Xavier smiled slightly, looking across his desk at a framed photograph. I couldn't see what it was of from where I was sitting. "Lilly, do you know what my…ability is?"

I shook my head.

"I can perceive, or read, the thoughts of others. My range extends to about 250 miles, but when I really, well, put my mind to it, it can go farther. I can erase memories out of people's minds and sometimes even communicate with animals. I can create illusions inside people's minds; make them do whatever I want. Just like you, Lilly."

My eyes grew wide as I watched him say this, for his lips didn't move at all. Every word of what he said had been spoken into my mind.

"So are you saying that I might eventually be able to be as powerful as you are?"

"Now let's not get too ahead of yourself, Lils!" A voice said from the doorway. At once, I knew it was Logan. Who else used that annoying nickname? "The Professor is one of the strongest mutants ever."

Xavier chuckled. "Lilly has vast potential, Logan."

I turned to face Logan. "And what is your ability, Logan?"

With a boastful smile, Logan held up a fist. Suddenly, three blade shot out from between his knuckles, making me jump. Both the Professor and Logan chuckled at me.

"Logan also has regenerative healing abilities."

"Wow. Cool." I said, with my eyebrows raised.

"It's not that cool, Lils." Logan said, looking down. "I've outlived quite a number of people."

"Oh."

After an awkward moment of silence, the Professor cleared his throat and spoke.

"Lilly, there is a very powerful mutant by the name of Magneto. He has the power to control and manipulate any form of metal. As we speak, he is forcing several of the world's top scientists into creating a synthetic airborne biochemical virus. However, he is missing one key scientist. Through an inside ear, we learned of this man and took him into hiding before he was able to be captured. Magneto's plan cannot proceed forward without this man, so I believe soon his team will come here looking for him."

"Wow," I said, trying to process all of this information. "So what would you like me to do?"

"For now, begin training to become a part of the X-Men. You will be a valuable asset to the team, Lilly."

I nodded. "Okay, I'll do it. But I need to go home and pack up. Is it okay if my dog, Candy stays here?" I saw Xavier and Logan share a glance. "What?"

"Lilly, there's something you need to know." The Professor said. "Your dog-"

There was an abrupt knock at the door. Logan opened it and let in a slender teenage girl with long white hair and very fair skin. And her eyes…

"_Candy?_" I blanched, confused and speechless, gaping at the girl before me bearing one blue eyes and one pink.

The girl smiled tentatively at me. "Hey, Lilly."

With wide eyes, I turned to the Professor, my confusion turning into anger. "You planted her in my house! You had her spying on me!"

"Lilly, we had to be sure you weren't working for Magneto. And after Candy had a little incident, we considered that appropriate probation for her. I'll understand if you change your mind and would like to return home."

I closed my eyes and pressed my fingers to my temples, letting out an exhausted sigh. I felt as if I had no life to go back to; that my best friend for the past few years had been nothing but a lie.

"It doesn't matter, I'm still staying."

A smile broke out across Xavier's face. "Wonderful! You'll start training after lunch. Logan will escort you to our training facility."

I smiled weakly in return, getting up to leave.

"And Lilly," I stopped, turning around to face the Professor. "Thank you."


	7. Chapter VII

Out of control

Chapter VII

By Artemis Fortuna

The days following my meeting with Xavier were hectic and flew by in a flurry of training sessions. I was introduced to a number of new mutants and their talents. Jean Gray was a very powerful red-headed psychic who came off as very motherly and kind. Kitty Pryde, a flirty, friendly brunette had the power to walk through walls. Though I already knew Kurt, I learned that his gift was teleportation, an ability I was extremely jealous of. Scott, the man with the red-tinted shades, could fire very powerful beams from his eyes. And, finally, I discovered that Rogue had the bittersweet ability to absorb and replicate people's powers via human contact.

Most of my belongings from my apartment had been transported to my room in the institute. The Professor had been kind enough to take care of my job as a model, telling my superiors that I had a family member that had taken ill and needed to tend to them. When I brought up paying rent for my room, Xavier laughed kindly and said I was staying for free.

"We will provide you with a generous monthly payment directly into your bank Lilly, to be spent on whatever you'd like."

"Oh, Professor, you don't need to-"

"Lilly, you gave up your home, job and life for my cause. It's the least I can do."

As the days turned into weeks, I fell into a steady schedule. Get up bright and early, breakfast with Kurt, Ororo and Logan, training, lunch, training, dinner, training, sleep. Though I was exhausted, I had found that I fit in easily with the other mutants. Perhaps I had found a new home.

"So how do you like your new home, Lilly?" Kurt asked me one day as we took some down time from training.

"I don't think I've ever felt more accepted anywhere else." I replied, smiling slightly. "Here I don't have to hide my ability. I feel like I'm being more true to myself."

Kurt smiled in response. "Do you think your gift has gotten more powerful with training?"

I contemplated for a moment. Training had been strenuous. There were mental exercises where I would use my abilities and speech to persuade realistic holographs.

Physically, I wasn't anything special, but I'd been trained to fight fairly well with my body and even better with my mind. If provoked in the right way, my mind would go into a form of overdrive, my vision blurring, my ears ringing, my mouth tasting metallic. I could feel my blood pumping in my veins, my heart constricting and releasing with each beat. Time would appear to slow; my hair floating around my head like a halo. My eyes flash red and suddenly whoever is unlucky enough to be my victim, falls to their knees, crumpling in pain, screaming and clutching their head.

Smiling, I replied to the teleporter, "Yes, I believe so."

* * *

Later that day, I found myself relaxing in the gloriously large bath tub in my gloriously large bathroom. There were bubbles floating on top of the hot, lavender scented water, coating my skin and soothing my aching muscles. I closed my eyes, trying to relax my powerful mind. Randomly, my mind drifted to training that day and how odd Logan had acted.

We had just finished up an exercise and Logan had approached me as I sat on a bench, trying to catch my breath and wind down. He had this smirk on his face like he knew something I didn't.

"Spit it out, Logan." I said, smirking in return.

"Well, Lils," he said, talking deliberately slow. "There just happens to be a photo shoot coming up this weekend on the coast for this magazine I'm sure you're familiar with…"

"Way to be vague." I muttered. "Okay, you've got me interested. Go on."

"You got a letter about it, I've just held onto it for you-"

"And obviously opened it-"

"And if you'd like to come by later to pick it up, I'm sure that could be arranged."

I rolled my eyes. "Alright, fine. I'll come by after dinner."

"Good, it's settled." Logan said, walking off with a satisfied smile.

The topic seemed so completely random for someone as standoffish and rude as Logan. As if he was really interested in a photo shoot with me. I had the hardest time trying to figure out his real motive. Logan simply wanted to spend time with me seemed impossible. We hardly knew each other and he didn't appear to be the type who would be interested in learning about someone, especially me.

I finished up my bath and slipped into a pair of plaid pajama bottoms and a black tank top. After tossing my damp hair into a sloppy bun, I put on a light jacket and headed to Logan's room to pick up my letter.

His room was only a few doors down from mine. I smoothed out my top, tousled my hair a bit, let out a sigh and knocked twice on his door. I could hear rustling and a grunt from the other side before it opened to reveal a shirtless dark-haired man with a stub of a cigar stuck in his mouth.

"Hey, Lils." He greeted in his gravely voice. "Come on in."

"Are you allowed to smoke in here?" I asked as I surveyed his room. It wasn't as large as mine, and the immense amount of clutter made it seem even smaller. Encyclopedias and other books littered the ground, clothes were hanging off of almost every piece of furniture and a massive television occupied one wall with an X-Box perched below it.

"Eh, it's my room. I can do what I want."

"Right. I suppose that's true." I said, finally turning to him. "Well, may I have my letter?"

"You know, that casual 'I don't care' look works for you."

I stared at him for a minute. "Um, thanks?"

He smirked and turned to his nightstand and shuffled through a drawer. Finally, he pulled out a white envelope and handed to me.

I took it from him and opened it, pulling out a black piece of paper with hot pink and white lettering.

"_To Miss Lilly Walker,_

_You are invited to the Belle Epoque photo shoot in Boston, Massachusetts. Food, drinks, makeup, costumes, airfare and accommodations will be provided for."_

A phone number, date and time was written at the bottom.

"You really want to come with me?" I asked as a folded the letter up and put in back in the envelope.

"Sure, why not? Things get pretty boring around here." Logan said. "Besides, we have reason to believe that Magneto might have people on the lookout for you. You might need me."

"I might need you to protect me?" I asked, narrowing my eyes, slightly offended. After the months I'd spent training rigorously, I'd developed a bit of an ego when it came it self-defense. I felt perfectly capable of protecting myself against whatever Magneto could throw at me.

"You never know, sugar." Logan said, sitting on his bed and puffing on his cigar. "Am I really that bad of company?"

I sighed, looking around his room to avoid his eyes. I wanted to tell him that most of the time he was distant and had the tendency to be an asshole. Instead, I said, "No, I suppose not."

He smiled. "Good, then it's settled."

I nodded, still not looking him in the eye.

"We're leaving on Friday."

I snapped my vision back onto him. "But the shoot isn't until Saturday night. We could leave Saturday afternoon and have plenty of time to get to the shoot."

"You just admitted that I'm not bad company. Let's enjoy the city. Besides, Lils, you deserve a break after all of that training." He puffed on his cigar again.

I sighed, contemplating his proposition. I was exhausted and I did deserve a break. I'd been training practically nonstop since coming to the Institution. And Boston was my hometown.

"Well, why not?" I muttered with a sigh. "But we're getting separate rooms. You're not bad company, but not good enough for me to share a bathroom with." I eyed the entrance to his bathroom, shuttering at the thought of the mess that lurked inside.

"Sounds fair enough." Logan said with a shrug.

"Okay, it's settled, then." I confirmed, turning towards the door. "See you in training tomorrow."

* * *

After dinner the next day, I decided to go relax on one of the upper decks to watch the sun set and wind down before bed. I stopped by my room in change out of my training clothes and into a pair of shorts and a sweatshirt. I grabbed a book and some flip flops and stepped into the elevator to the top floor.

As I stepped onto the deck, I inhaled the clean evening air and let my hair cascade from its bun. The cool breeze felt amazing. From the high view, I could see and hear some students frolicking in the lake before they had to retire for the night. I sat down in one of the cushioned wicker chairs, propped my feet up on a footstool and opened up my book. Before I knew it, I'd fallen asleep.

I woke up in the same position I'd doze off in, except I was extremely drowsy and confused. I had no recollection of falling asleep, especially outside. I sat up and stretched, jumping as my book fell to the floor of the deck. As I reached for it, I noticed I wasn't alone on the deck.

Sitting across from me in an identical wicker chair was a man whose face was not only obscured by the darkness of the night, but a large metal helmet. He wore some sort of a suit with a grey cape. I recoiled slightly, eyeing him suspiciously.

"Hello, Lilly Walker. My name is Magneto."

My eyes widened. "Magneto?" I asked in disbelief. What was he doing here?

"It is a pleasure to meet you. I have heard marvelous things about you, Miss Walker."

I kept staring at him. I was no long wide-eyed, but on guard and speculative. I figured I was in no immediate danger. If his intentions were to harm me, he would have done so while I was asleep. I briefly wondered how long he'd been watching me sleep.

"I am here to warn you that my team will soon be here to collect the scientist you are protecting. Waiting any longer is out of the question." He paused, surveying the night. "We will take no prisoners. We will fight to kill."

My stare turned into a glare. "Do not expect to win, Magneto."

"You either, Miss Walker." He said, standing and striding over the edge of the deck. He glanced over the side of the railing. "You have two weeks to turn over the scientist before drastic measures will be taken."

With that, Magneto climbed over the railing and dropped out of sight.


	8. Chapter VIII

Out of Control

Chapter VIII

By Artemis Fortuna

Immediately after Magneto plunged out of sight, I turned and ran back inside, sprinting towards the elevator. The Professor needed to know what had just happened immediately. I jammed the button I needed repeatedly as if it would quicken things up. The elevator doors eased shut achingly slow and as I began to slow my descent, I felt as if I was crawling, inching downwards. Why were the elevators slower than normal today? Finally, after what seemed an infinity, the doors opened and I flew out, racing towards the Professor's office.

Without knocking, I barged in, out of breath. The Professor was sitting behind his desk and Ororo was standing behind him. It appeared as if they were reviewing documents. Both of their heads shot up to look at me.

"Professor, Magneto-" I started.

"Yes, Lilly, I know. I could hear your thoughts from on the deck."

"Then why didn't you send someone? We could've captured him or something!" I said, trying to catch my breath. I bent over and put my hand on my knees, trying to even my breathing out.

"He had no intentions of hurting you, as you know. He wanted to convey a message, and that is all he did."

I nodded without looking at him. Standing up and tightening my ponytail, I asked, "So what do we do now?"

"As he said, we now have a deadline. We keep training. I will call together a meeting tomorrow night and we will all construct a plan together." He said, looking me in the eye. I felt reassured by his calmness. I was still shaken at being snuck up on.

"Okay, Professor. I'll let everyone know."

"I'd like you to be there, Lilly. You're part of our team now."

I smiled faintly and exited his office.

* * *

Thursday morning woke me up with rain splattering against my windows. Thunder rolled across the sky. I groggily rolled over in my covers and glanced at the clock next to my bed. 7:34 am. I still had a whole hour before I even had to start getting ready for training.

However, despite my attempts to get back to sleep, I was wide awake. I heaved a great sigh and threw my comforter off me, then padded across the room into the bathroom.

The girl staring back at me from the mirror was different from the girl I saw when I arrived. She still had the same dark hair and brown eyes, but this new girl had lost weight and had more depth to her eyes. Her cheekbones were more prominent and her arms and legs were toned from exercise. The skin that was once pale and creamy was now tinted into a darker, richer color from jogging outside. I looked myself over once more and put in my green contacts, noticing that my blonde roots were coming in. I decided to go to the store to get some dye since I had an hour to kill.

I pulled on a pair of dark denim jeans and a long sleeved white shirt. I buttoned up a black vest over my shirt, sloppily braided my hair back, threw on some makeup and headed out the door with my purse in hand. I retrieved my car from the massive garage and threw my purse into the passenger seat and put my key into the ignition. As I pulled out of the garage, rain pelted my car murderously, making me thankful to be out of it. As I pulled along the lengthy driveway of the Institute, I saw a lone figure standing in the pouring rain. As I got closer, I could tell it was a man by his posture; his hands were at his sides and his feet were shoulder-width apart. By the time I was about ten feet away, I identified the man.

"Logan?" I asked myself with furrowed brows.

I pulled up next to him and rolled down my passenger window. Rain sprinkled the inside of my car.

"Logan, what are you doing?" I had to practically yell over the rain.

"Just walking around." He said nonchalantly, as if getting drenched in the morning rain was no big deal.

"Here, get in." I unlocked the doors and he climbed in. Thankfully, I had a towel in my backseat from an earlier beach trip. I handed that to him and rolled up the window. "I'll drive you back to the front door." I put the car in reverse and began to back towards the building.

"Hey, just take me with you wherever you were going."

"I'm not sure that's such a good idea, Logan. I was, um, going to get some…feminine stuff." I did not want Logan coming with me to buy hair dye. Even him knowing that black wasn't my real hair color was too close a step to him discovering my true identity. Plus, I also had to pick up some new green contacts.

"Oh, don't be a stranger, Lils. I know all about women and their little issues. Besides, I need to pick up some stuff anyway."

I sighed, put the car into drive and headed to the supermarket.

"What do you need at the store?" I asked as I turned a corner.

"Oh, just some stuff." He replied, staring out the window.

"Okay. You're being vague."

"Well, what do you need?" He asked, turning towards me with a quirked eyebrow.

I paused, smiling slightly. "Oh…just some stuff." He chuckled a bit and I smiled fully. "I actually just need some stuff for the trip. I want to be ready to leave tomorrow night."

Logan nodded. "We'll head to the airport right after the meeting with the Professor."

A few minutes later, we pulled into the supermarket. I groaned when I realized I was lacking an umbrella. Getting drenched in a white shirt didn't exactly seem ideal to me. And, of course, the only parking spots open were in the back.

Logan seemed to sense my dilemma. "I could always run in a get whatever you need, Lils." I shook my head. "Okay, well, a little rain never hurt anyone."

I sighed and opened my door, bracing myself for the drenching that was about to occur. After locking my car, I sprinted through the parking lot and through the sliding glass doors. I moaned at the reflection I saw in the doors. My makeup was smeared and my hair was plastered to my face. There was no point in trying to fix my appearance since I'd have to ruin it all over again running back to the car.

Logan chuckled at me. "Don't sweat it, Lils. I like my women wet."

After taking a moment to recover from Logan's suggestive comment, I went in the opposite direction he did, towards the cosmetics. I grabbed some black dye and some shampoo and conditioner before heading towards the pharmaceuticals for my contacts. After picking those up, I went to the women's clothes to pick out a new bathing suit so I could enjoy the hotel swimming pool. It took me several minutes to find one I like in my size, but the one I selected was perfect. Since I had a little spending money thanks to the Professor, I also found a turquoise sundress and a pair of white gladiator sandals. I checked the checkout lines to see if Logan was there. When he wasn't, I went to the accessory department. I found a pair of silver earrings and a simple necklace to go with my dress, along with a new pair of sunglasses. After that, I decided to stop splurging and check out before I found other items I knew I didn't need.

The cashier at the register was an attractive male around my age with shaggy brown hair and glowing blue eyes. His attempts at flirting with me were pretty feeble and bland, but I appreciated the discount he gave me for having "gorgeous green eyes."

With my purchases bagged and in hand, I darted through the sliding doors into the pouring rain, across the parking lot and leaped into my car. I threw my bags into the backseat and patted my face with the towel.

"About time, Lils."

I jumped and let out a little shriek. Logan was sitting in the passenger seat with a beer in hand, giving me his stupid casual smile.

"Jesus Christ, Logan." I breathed, fumbling with my keys. Finally, I got it in the ignition and turned on the car.

"I've been out here for like three hours, Lils." He said, slurping his beer loudly.

I glanced at the clock. "It's been 30 minutes."

Logan rolled his eyes. "It _felt _like three hours…"

I smiled contentedly as we drove back to the Institute, my new home. My life felt very comfortable. I had plenty of company, a wonderful home, a potential family. I finally felt suited for my ability and more in control of my life. For the first time sine _he_ left me, my heart felt whole.


	9. Chapter IX

Out of Control

Chapter VIIII

By Artemis Fortuna

Training flew by. Before I knew it, I was on my way to the Professor's office alongside Logan. I was slightly nervous. Just as Logan and I were about to open the large oak doors, a voice spoke in our heads.

"_Tonight's meeting will be held in Sector 2, in room 12."_

I glanced at Logan. "You know how to get there?"

He nodded. "It's underground. He's taking us to see the scientist."

A few minutes later we were deep underground. The hallways were white and brightly lit by overhead fluorescent lights. Logan's boots clicked on the tiled floor. Finally, we reached room twelve. We entered through a pair of swinging double doors.

Ororo, Jean and Scott were all already in the meeting room, seated at a wide, long black rectangular wooden table. I took a seat next to Ororo in a wheeled office chair and Logan took a seat across from me. I could tell the others were as uneasy as I was, judging by the lack of casual conversation. The air was thick with apprehensive tension. I briefly met eyes with Logan. His deep brown eyes smoldered into mine, and I felt something unfamiliar stir inside me, giving me a breathless, electrified feeling.

Before I could even contemplate our exchange, the Professor entered with a scrawny-looking young man trotting behind him. The Professor wheeled up to sit at the head of the table and the man I assumed was the scientist took a seat next to me. He had short blond hair and grey eyes. A white lab coat dominated his outfit, covering the blue polo and khaki slacks he wore underneath. He rubbed his hands nervously on his legs as he surveyed the group.

"This is Dr. Mark Freeman. He is the object of Magneto's mission in two weeks."

Everyone murmured a greeting to Dr. Freedman. I was too wound up to mutter anything at all. The frail-looking scientist nodded in acknowledgement.

"Dr. Freedman, this is Jean Gray, Ororo Munroe, Scott Summer, Logan, and Lilly Walker. They are all members of the X-Men and have agreed to help with your situation." The Professor gave the group a warm smile. "As you all know, Magneto is preparing an attack on the Institute in order to capture Dr. Freedman. We must do everything in our power to prevent this from happening. Have any of you put any thought into possible strategies?"

The room was silent. Hesitantly, I raised my hand, and then felt like an idiot. This wasn't high school…

"If there's for sure going to be a battle, shouldn't we avoid having it anywhere near the Institute? I'm sure the last thing everyone wants is a gaggle of angry parents, yelling at us for getting their children blown up in a battle that they weren't even involved in." I said, glancing around the table.

I felt slightly reassured when Ororo and Jean nodded their heads.

"An excellent point, Lilly. Does anyone know of a place that is appropriate?" The Professor asked.

"There's a clearing in the middle of a forest off of the highway." Logan said, crossing one leg over the other and leaning back casually. "It's at least five or ten miles from anything."

Jean leaned forward, nodding in understanding. "I know where you're talking about, Logan. With the cover of trees, if we can get some cover, we might be able to settle for an ambush."

"But what about Dr. Freedman?" Scott asked. "We can't just bring him to the clearing with us. He'd be too vulnerable."

Everyone paused for a moment, contemplating every possible option. I glanced at the Professor and noticed his eyes were sparkling. I wondered what he was thinking; what could be going through that brilliant, intelligent mind of his.

"Could we possibly hide him somewhere?" I asked, mainly to break the silence. I twisted some of my dark hair between my fingers, waiting for a reply.

After several minutes of no one speaking, the Professor placed his fingertips together, forming a tent, and looked at the group.

"I believe having Dr. Freedman at a different location than the confrontation is a good idea. I'm going to meet with some outside correspondents of mine, and then we can formulate a plan at a latter date." He turned to Scott. "Set the simulations during training to mimic the clearing to better construct battle strategies." Scott nodded. "That concludes our meeting. I will contact you all when we will have our next meeting. Good night."

* * *

Logan and I arrived at the airport an hour before our flight. Logan was annoyed with our early start, and took his time unloading our baggage from the taxi and checking them into customs. I let out a sigh as I followed Logan through security and into our terminal. He decided to lollygag and pretend to look at every gift shop we passed. Finally, our flight was called and we boarded our flight.

"I get the window seat." I said as we found our seats and loaded our carry-ons into the overhead compartment.

"No way, Lils." Logan said, moving to sit down.

I intercepted him and sat down first, gazing out the window happily. "After the bull you put me through getting here, I deserve this."

Logan rolled his eyes and took his seat next to me.

The flight was 30 minutes long, but it went by aching slow thanks to Logan trying to steal my arm rest, then spilling his water on me, then snoring loudly. All in a span of 30 minutes.

This was going to be one long trip.

* * *

Boston in mid-October was as gorgeous as ever. The weather was comfortably chilly, with a cool breeze and a clear, bright sky. The sun was making its way closer and closer to the horizon, and in a few hours, it would disappear completely.

A sleek black limo had retrieved Logan and I from the airport. I sat next to the window, fiddling with the silver sequins on my white top as I watched downtown Boston slide past us. After several minutes, we pulled up in front of a gorgeous, tall building called the Copley Square Hotel. A doorman came out to pile our luggage onto a cart and usher us to the reception desk. The receptionist checked us in and gave us our key card to our room.

We were on the 9th floor, in a corner penthouse. Apparently the modeling agency had quantities of money to spend, because our room was practically immeasurable. A humongous king-sized bed dominated most of the room, covered with comfortable-looking sheets and a fluffy comforter. A wall of windows wrapped around most of the room, letting in the last few rays of sunshine. A bathroom was off to the right, but I decided I'd check it out later. I set my purse on the bed and walked over to the wide windows, pushing open the glass door then led to the wraparound balcony.

"It's beautiful." I said to Logan, who had followed me outside.

The view off of our balcony included a span on buildings towering in front of the bay. We were facing west, so the sunset was directly in front of us, splashing Logan and I in a golden light.

With my hair blowing in the breeze, nine stories off of the ground, and the sun sharing its last moments for power with me, I felt strong and invincible, almost goddess-like.

I walked over to Logan and draped an arm over his broad, muscular shoulders.

"The night is young, Logan. What do you say we go grab some dinner and a drink or two before we crash?" I asked, trying to share my wonderful mood.

Logan nodded, not taking his eyes off of the darkening skyline.

I gave him a lingering smile, wondering what he was thinking. I turned to return inside, but stopped in my tracks.

"Wait, I thought we were supposed to have separate beds?" I pivoted around to face Logan.

"We were." Logan said. "They're full right now. This is the nicest upgrade they could get us." He sighed and faced me, forcing a smirk. "I'll sleep on the floor if it bother's you, Lils. I've slept on much worse."

I shook my head, smiling slightly. "I suppose it's not that big of a deal, right? It's only for two nights."

At that, I went back inside to get ready. I pulled out an outfit, my hair dye, my makeup and my hair straightener. The dye I bought was a shade darker than I really had wanted, but I figured going from dark brown to black wouldn't be _that_ big of a deal. A hot shower helped me relax the muscles that had started to ache from training earlier this morning. I rinsed out my hair and stepped out of the shower, wrapping a towel around my torso. After disposing of all evidence of hair dye, I blow dried my hair and pulled it into a bun.

The outfit I'd brought was strictly casual. In the back of my mind, I wished I brought something a little nicer. But why? Who was I trying to impress?

Logan.

Who else was there to dress up for? I severely doubted Logan would notice if I worse an evening dress or a potato sack. And why would he care if I dressed up for him?

I sighed and slipped into my strapless red dress and black pumps. The dress was knee-length with a neckline that showed enough to not give anything away. I straightened my hair until it was sleek and glossy, then lined my eyes in black and smeared on some foundation. Finally, I exited the bathroom.

To my dismay, Logan was nowhere to be found. I checked the balcony only to find it empty, but now lit with some soft electric lanterns. It took me nearly ten minutes to find the note on the bed.

_Lils,_

_Down in the bar waiting for your ass to hurry up._

_-Logan_

I couldn't help but to smirk slightly. Straight to the point with no sugar on top.

I gave myself a quick spray with some subtle perfume and smoothed out my dress as I glanced one last time at myself in the full-length mirror behind the door. I grabbed my black clutch and headed downstairs.

Logan was sitting at the bar sipping from a tall beer bottle, looking at the plasma wide-screen TV without actually watching it. I could tell something was on his mind. I approached him and placed a hand on his back as I took a seat in the stool next to him.

"About time, Lils." Logan said, taking a final swig to his beer before setting it down and turning to me.

I laughed quietly. "Sorry, Logan. Didn't know I had a time limit." I stood up. "Any idea where you'd like to go?"

He nodded. "I have a joint in mind."

And so, arm in arm, Logan and I embraced the night, exiting the hotel as the city lights came on and the party animals awoke from their slumber. I felt wild, free, and ready for anything.


	10. Chapter X

Out of Control

Chapter X

By Artemis Fortuna

**Author's note:**** I do not own or make profit off of any X-Men titles or characters.**

**Well, readers, ten chapters down! I have a pretty generalized plot in my head, but I mostly make up the chapters as I go****. I would really really appreciate some form of feedback.**** I am also looking for a beta. If you're interested, please either message me or let me know in a review. Things are about to get pretty awesome in the next few chapters, and I hope this chapter might get you excited for that. Thanks for reading, guys! I hope you're enjoying it!**

I had a wonderful night with Logan. After a few beers, his standoffish demeanor fell off of him like a drape. He smiled more and would throw his arm across my shoulders as we walked down the brightly lit, thriving city streets. We hit numerous clubs and bars, trying to take in the city and all of its glistening, glittering glory.

At one point, Logan dared me to use my ability to get us a free round of drinks. Sober, I would have said no without any hesitation at all. But in my intoxicated state, I got us more than just one round. By the time Logan and I stumbled back into our hotel room, we both were absolutely gone.

We might have shared a few conversations that I couldn't recall later, but the one thing I remembered quite well was when Logan kissed me.

It was completely out of the blue and caught me wholly by surprise.

"Lilly," he said, using my entire name for a change, "You are a terrifying woman."

His arms wrapped around my waist and his lips softly caressed mine. Whether it was the alcohol or something new stirring inside me, I kissed him back just as softly, trying to memorize every delicious new emotion he triggered. It had been a long while since I had felt such delicious pleasure. His rough, calloused hands stroked the soft skin on my cheeks as I placed a hand on his chest, feeling his heart beating as quickly as my own. Slowly, gradually, we both pulled apart and looked at each other, trying to sense one another's reaction. I let out a sigh and went into the bathroom to get ready for bed.

Beyond that, all I remembered was falling asleep next to him, with one of his arms placed securely around my waist. That night I slept harder than I had in a while. It was a deep, dreamless sleep, but when I woke up to my alarm the next morning, I'd never felt more rested.

* * *

After sneaking out of bed without waking up Logan, I padded across the room and stepped out onto the balcony. The sun was just beginning to rise and the city was just awakening from its slumber. Placed on a table to my right was a pack of cigarettes. My eyebrows furrowed in confusion. I'd never smoked before. Well, that I was aware of. I noticed butts scattered on the ground with lipstick marks at the end the same shade as the color I wore last night.

I put my forehead in my hand and rubbed, trying to remember what else had happened the night before. I was not the type to get drunk, especially _that _drunk. I had woken up in Logan's arms. Did that mean that I had sex with him?

_No, I woke up with my clothes on._ I thought to myself, holding onto the railing with both hands and sighing as I looked out over the city.

The pack of cigarettes caught my eye again. Hesitantly, I walked over and took one. A silver metallic lighter was laying on the arm of one of the lounge chairs. I flicked the lighter and raised the flame to the end of the cigarette, inhaling carefully.

"Morning, Lils."

Logan's sudden appearance had startled me, causing me to cough. Through flaming lungs, I managed a meager wave in his direction. Once I as under control again, I took a seat in a lounge chair and inhaled again. Logan took the seat next to me.

"Here, it's kinda chilly out here," he said, handing me his denim jacket.

I smiled and put it on, careful not to get any ash on it. His musky, smoky smell wove around me. I looked out at the city, watching as its inhabitants stirred to greet a new day. The sun was beginning to peek around the base of the skyline, greeting citizens as they awoke. I glanced at Logan, then back at the city.

"What's on your mind, Lils?" Logan asked, lighting up his own cigarette.

I sighed and closed my eyes, leaning my head back on the headrest. "Do you know what happened last night, Logan?" I asked through closed eyes.

He was silent for a moment. His hesitation caused all of the unease and doubt that had been pooling in my gut to sink and spread like a poison. I groaned.

"We had a few drinks-"

"A few?" I scoffed.

"-and then came back and went to sleep." He finished.

Wait.

Logan didn't remember kissing me?

I frowned, taking a puff of my smoke. How could that memory stand out so boldly in my foggy recollections of the night before, yet be entirely forgotten in his? I felt almost hurt.

I put on a mask of relief. "Okay, good." I forced a smile as I put out my cigarette and stood up. "Well, I'm going to get ready for the shoot. We need to head out soon."

Logan nodded, but stayed seated. As I went inside, I could feel his eyes on me the whole way.

* * *

The photo shoot wasn't anything special. Me and a bunch of other bikini-clad girls braved the frigid Boston air to perch ourselves on a sailboat and attempt to look sexy. All the while, Logan stood with the hair and makeup artists on the dock, comfortably drinking steaming coffee. I was green with envy.

By the time it was over, my lips were blue and I couldn't seem to stop shivering, despite the massive blanket Logan had draped over me. I was ready to shower and get into some comfortable clothes and just rest.

"Logan, I hate to be a spoilsport, but I'm not sure if I'm up to going out again tonight." I said as we climbed into the taxi to head back to the hotel. "I'm still recuperating from last night."

Logan chucked and nodded his head in understanding. "No worries, Lils. I need to go out for a bit anyway. You rest up, then maybe you'll be more fun later."

The childish part of me wanted me to stick my tongue out at him. The mature part of me won. I rolled my eyes and gave him a smirk. As the taxi drew closer to the hotel, I gathered up my purse and wrapped my blanket more securely around myself.

"I'll see ya later, Lils."

I waved at him and watched the taxi drive off into the bustling afternoon traffic of Boston. The doorman opened the door for me and I entered the hotel, heading towards the elevators. I silently thanked my sober self for packing up a change of clothes into my purse for after the shoot. Now, instead of just wearing a bikini and a blanket, I was wearing a pair of Capri sweats and a red top. The elevator finally opened. I pushed the button for the 9th floor, rolling forward on the balls of my feet as I made my ascent. Finally, I reached my floor. I took a left towards my room, but stopped in my tracks. I'd forgotten the keycard with Logan. I sighed. Perhaps the check in desk in the lobby could give me a replacement.

I turned around to head back to the elevator, but ran straight into someone. I glanced up at the person, an apology on the tip of my tongue, but then I actually_ looked_ at the person before me.

My breath was suddenly gone.

It was him. The man I was once in love with.

His short dirty blond hair was now shaggy and unkempt. He was wearing a doorman's uniform. I looked into his eyes, my heart pounding rapidly in my chest. His eyes were the same deep chestnut. I ached to be in his arms again, and I had to physically restrain myself from walking into them again.

After all of these years, he was here again.

"Hello, Janae Sullivan."


	11. Chapter XI

Out of Control

Chapter XI

By Artemis Fortuna

**This chapter will start out in Logan's point of view. I really hope I can successfully capture his personality. It's going to be tough, but I love a good challenge. :]**

**Please, please review! Happy reading!**

LOGAN

There's always been something morbidly comforting about walking into a smoky bar. Maybe it's the intoxicated women who are immediately eyeing me. Maybe it's the odor of lager I can smell from across the room. Maybe it was the sense of nostalgia I felt.

Either way, I took a seat at the bar and ordered a beer. Through all of the cigarette smoke, I could see a football game on TV. The bartender slid my glass bottle over to me. I popped the top off with my teeth and took a swig after spitting the cap onto the floor.

I lied to Lilly about getting drunk. With my regenerative state, it was impossible for me to even get slightly tipsy. How could I not remember kissing her? I'd only done it with hopes that she wouldn't remember it. Something told me my plan had failed.

"Hey there, sugar." A girl had approached me. She had greasy blond hair and too much makeup on. She reeked of sex and weed and alcohol.

I gave her a gruff nod.

"My name's Paulette." She slurred, leaning again the bar at the spot next to me.

"Logan." I replied, taking another drink of my beer.

"You seem so tense, sugar." Paulette said, rubbing her hand on my back. She leaned in to whisper her grotesque breath into my ear. "Why don't you let me help you out?" I was physically repulsed.

Before I could even begin to refuse her disgusting offer, a hand appeared at Paulette's shoulder. She was yanked backwards and fell to the floor. In her place appeared a middle-aged man with a beer belly. Over his balding head, he wore a trucker cap and stretched over his large middle was a denim shirt with the sleeves cut off.

No matter how disgraceful she is, no woman should be treated like that.

I knew this guy was trouble. I could practically smell it. Adrenaline pulsed through my veins. A fight was exactly what I needed. It would help me get Lilly out of my head.

"Whatcha doin' with my woman, dickhead?" The man slurred, jabbing me in the chest with his stubby finger.

Again I was interrupted.

_Logan. Get back to the hotel. Lilly needs you. This is a matter of great urgency._

The Professor was in my head. Immediately, this scuffle I was about to get in was trivial.

I needed to get to Lilly.

LILLY

When I regained consciousness, I couldn't remember anything after stepping out of the elevator. My head was throbbing and I was dizzy. I groaned as I realized I was lying in the bed inside of my hotel room. Logan was hovering over me, holding my hand in his. At first, I felt comforted by his display of affection. Then, I discovered my hand was burning.

Not literally, but the pain I felt radiating from my palm was incomprehensible. I grinded my teeth together to keep from screaming. Logan wouldn't let me pull my hand away. Panting, I squirmed on top of the sheets, sweat rolling down my forehead. Through the pain, I heard voices enter the room, but couldn't find the strength to open my eyes to see who was there.

Finally, after an eternity of fire consuming my hand, it was done. My eyes flickered open and I watched as Logan wrapped my hand with white gauze.

"What was that, Logan?" I whispered, barely strong enough to talk.

A voice spoke from the other side of the room. "Logan gave you a crude blood transfusion, Lilly." The Professor said, gliding up to my bedside in his wheelchair. "You were attacked and close to bleeding to death. Logan was kind enough to share some of his regenerative blood with you in order to save your life."

Everyone was silent as I let that sink in.

Logan had saved my life.

"Who attacked me?" I asked. Jean Grey strode over to me and began checking me over, touching tender areas and murmuring to herself.

Xavier and Jean shared a look.

"Logan found you lying on this bed, Lilly. You were bleeding profusely from your neck, one of your main arteries sliced. The door was wide open, with the lock broken." Logan approached me with a mirror in his hand. "You're going to have a scar, Lilly."

I took the mirror from Logan and gingerly sat up, trying to ignore the pounding in my head. My reflection showed a dark headed girl with bloodshot green eyes. Her face was caked in dried blood and a fresh bruise was swelling on one of her cheeks. But something else caught my eye.

On my neck there was the letter V carved into my skin. It was still dripping bright red blood. I let out a small gasp.

"Lilly, do you know who Sabretooth is?" Jean Grey asked me.

I furrowed my brows and shook my head, handing the mirror back to Logan.

"What about Viktor Creed?" The Professor asked, locking eyes with me.

My breath was gone.

Viktor?

"I can smell him on her, Xavier." Logan snarled, a look of disgust on his face. "I would know that stench anywhere."

My head was swimming. Viktor was involved in all of this somehow? They thought he was the one who had hurt me?

"I don't know how you guys know V-Viktor," I could barely speak his name after all this time. My heart still ached even thinking the word. "But he would never hurt me like this."

"Lils, the brute scratched a V into your skin with his bare hands. A fucking V!" Logan yelled, striding over to the bed. Jean moved to stop him. With a glare, Logan stormed onto the balcony. I saw him light up a cigarette. I ached for one myself.

"Lilly, how did you know him?" The Professor inquired, gently placing his hand on my shoulder.

I looked down. As if Xavier even needed to ask. He could read minds; he already knew my entire history. He knew my alias was fake and that my real name wasn't really Lilly Walker. Nevertheless, I replied, "He was my fiancé."

Xavier nodded, patting my shoulder before withdrawing his hand.

In my mind, he spoke. _You are suppressing several memories from your encounter, Lilly. When you are ready to remember, I am ready to help you._

_

* * *

_

When we returned to the Institute, I went straight to my room. I threw my luggage into a corner and dove face-first onto my bed. As I sank into my fluffy comforter, tears leaked from my eyes. I pulled myself up and padded into the bathroom to remove my contacts and take a shower.

My palm was still tender from where Logan's blood had melded with mine. He had only given me enough to save me. I worried there would be a scar there, too.

I looked at myself in the mirror after undressing. My black hair was messy and unkempt. My mascara was smudged and smeared. My eyes and nose were red. The bruise on my cheek was beginning to darken. Finally, my eyes landed on the one thing I was trying to avoid looking at.

Thanks to Logan's blood donation, the V in my neck had healed completely, not even leaving behind a scab. What was left behind was a scar. The scar itself was about three inches long. Two lines of pink flesh that meet at a point. It would be noticeable all of the time, unless I decided to wear a turtle neck.

Tears welled in my brown eyes and spilled down my cheeks. Why would Viktor want to hurt me? I would have never imagined him having a violent side. Knowing he was capable of something like this hurt me more than I hurt him by keeping my ability a secret from him. I was so confused as to what I had done to deserve something like this, much less how he had found me under my new name. I sniffed a bit as I traced the scar with my finger, wondering if he had intended to leave a permanent mark.

I composed myself and stepped into the burning water, intent on washing away every memory I had of Viktor Creed.


	12. Chapter XII

Out of Control

Chapter XII

By Artemis Fortuna

**Author's note: This chapter is twice as long as my usual ones and twice as awesome. I am sososo pleased with how this came out. Please review, please review, please review!**

The next day I was excused from training to recover. I didn't want to miss out on training, much less sit in my room and simmer in my own misery all day. In addition, I felt like I needed the training now more than ever. Being attacked made me feel vulnerable and frightened.

So instead of brushing up on my combat with the rest of the team, I decided to go to the pool and break in my new bikini. The weather was warm enough to not make the water too frigid, but cool enough to not make me break a sweat. My new bikini was black with white paisley designs over it. Covering my green eyes was a pair of large white framed sunglasses. My dark hair was pinned up with a large clip.

Luckily, the pool was deserted. All of the students were in class, seeing as it was Monday morning. I set my straw pool bag down next to a chair and slipped off my glasses, placing them on a glass table. I ran up to the side of the pool and dove in, reveling in the feel of the cool water stroking my skin. I surfaced and wiped the water from my eyes. With a content sigh, I floated on my back and closed my eyes, just letting myself drift on the surface of the water.

My eyes shot open as a shadow moved across my closed lids. My heart was in my throat, panicking at the thought of being caught off guard.

But it was only Kurt, holding a tower of fluffy white towels, giving me a smile as bright at the sun.

"Good morning, Lilly." He greeted me, setting the towels down on the table with my sunglasses. "What a wonderful morning to swim." With his think German accent, his phrase came out, 'vhat a vonderful morning to svim.'

I gave him a smile and swam to the side of the pool then climbed out. Kurt handed me one of the white towels and I wrapped it around my middle, taking a seat next to the table. Kurt sat in the other chair. I put on my white sunglasses and removed the clip from my hair.

Kurt was wearing some white swimming trunks and some flip flops. His blue chest was engraved with intricate designs. He sat back in the chair, crossing one muscular leg over the other and looking out over the land that the Institute sat on.

"Lilly, I am sorry about what happened with Viktor." Kurt said. Instantly, I was uncomfortable. I wasn't ready to talk about the topic yet.

"Kurt, it's not your fault. You don't need to apologize." I replied, avoiding his eyes. "I guess word travels fast around here, huh?"

"Oh, Lilly, no body knows. I teleported the Professor and Jean to Boston to help you. I would never tell anyone." He sounded so sincere. "Once I got them there, I came straight back to help Storm out here." I stared into the distance, trying to keep my mind from reliving that night. "Lilly, you're an incredibly strong woman. You can handle just about anything."

I left Kurt with a warm smile and a friendly comforting hug. I had decided, thanks to Kurt, that it was time for me to talk to the Professor about what happened with Viktor.

* * *

The Professor, of course, had been expecting me. He smiled kindly at me as I took a seat next to him out of his balcony. The cool morning breeze caressed my skin and ruffled the few strands of hair that had escaped from my casual bun. From my view on the balcony, I contentedly lounged in my wicker chair, feeling at peace with my situation for the very first time.

"You believe you're ready to revive these memories, Lilly?" Xavier asked, his blue eyes on my green ones.

I nodded solemnly.

"Alright. Close your eyes and open your mind. You will feel me enter. Try to think of the last thing you remember from the hotel."

Exhaling audibly, I closed my eyes and envisioned my mind as a doorway, opening up to allow the Professor inside. He was right; I did feel his presence in my mind.

"**Okay, Lilly. Think of the events leading up to you encounter. I'll take over from there." **The Professor spoke into my mind.

_I exited the elevator, discovered my keycard was missing and turned around and ran into a man._

_His dark eyes were still the same color, but seemed darker and more sinister. His smirk revealed some fang-like, pointed canines. How had I not noticed those before? The short, sandy hair I was used to was now grown out and shaggy, almost shoulder length._

"_Hello Janae Walker."_

That was as far as I could remember on my own. I felt the Professor in my mind, unlocking my suppressed memories.

"_Viktor?" I asked incredulously. My voice was shaky and weak._

"_Miss me?" He asked in his familiar gruff voice, giving me a smile._

_Tears sprang to my eyes as I nodded weakly. I was terrified of taking my eyes off of him in fear that he wasn't really standing in front of me._

"_Come here, Jenny." Viktor said, opening his arms to me._

_With no hesitation at all, I stepped into Viktor's familiar embrace, letting my tears spill over. His thick, muscular arms wrapped around me, holding me against him. I heard his heart beat in rhythm with mine. He smelled like home._

_Was he really back? Had he forgiven me for keeping my ability a secret? Was he going to stay with me now?_

_It didn't matter to me. All I cared about was that he was here with me now, holding me again for the first time in years. My wet tears stained his shirt._

"_I've missed you so much, Viktor." I whispered into his chest. I inhaled his amazing, musky scent, trying to recommit it to memory._

"_Did you?" He asked, pulling away to look me in the face. "You look so different."_

_I ignored the last part of what he said, not wanting to explain that I wasn't Janae Sullivan without him. "Of course I missed you." I said honestly. "How could I not? Viktor, we were engaged. I loved you."_

_His brows furrowed. "Loved? Do you not anymore?"_

_I was speechless. Did I still love him? After he left me, unable to accept me for whom I was. He left me in shambles, without as much as a phone call in years. Standing in front of him, hardly able to grasp that he was actually there, I realized that he felt like a stranger to me._

"_I-I don't know." I muttered. A few more tears tracked down my damp cheeks._

_Viktor put his palm to my face and wiped my tears away with his thumb. I leaned into him, closing my eyes. I noticed how long his nails were._

"_Oh, Jenny…" He whispered, leaning his forehead on mine. I could feel his delicious breath on my lips. His large, calloused hand moved from my face, down to my neck. I shivered as his other arm wrapped around my waist._

_I sighed contentedly._

"_I'm sorry." He whispered._

"_Wha-" I began, but I was cut off._

_Viktor lifted me up by my neck with one large hand. I choked and gasped for air, my eyes silently begging for mercy. I grasped around frantically, trying to pull his hand off of my throat._

_He threw me into the hotel room, using my body to break open the thick door. I crumpled to the ground at the foot of the bed. Sweet air filled my aching lungs and I gulped in air as I rolled onto my back. I felt stinging splinters of wood biting into my skin. The rest of my body was aching from demolishing the door._

_I heard Viktor's heavy footsteps approaching. Groaning, I pulled myself into a crawling position and feebly tried clambering away._

"_Janae Sullivan…" Viktor chuckled to himself. He strolled behind me. I whimpered when he picked me up by the back of my shirt. He tossed me roughly onto the bed, as if I were made of air. His strength frightened me._

_I ended up on my back, looking up at my ex-fiancé fearfully._

"_Viktor, why are you doing this?" I whispered._

_He crawled on top of me, placing himself in between my legs and lying on top of me. Viktor's rough lips planted kisses along my collar bone and neck, throwing in a gentle bite here and there. He moved his mouth to meet mine. I did not kiss him back. I couldn't show affection to someone I was terrified of._

"_Aww, c'mon, Jenny." Viktor whispered. "You used to love this…" He nipped at my ear lobe. I felt betraying shivers race throughout my body._

_I tried pushing him off of me, but he wouldn't budge. I collapsed with my arms on either side of me, letting Viktor smother my chest with kisses. And suddenly, I remembered who I was and what I could do._

_With every ounce of energy I could muster, I thought, "GET OFF."_

_Viktor hustled off of me and darted across the room. I mentally commanded him to remain over there. I limped over to him, keeping a few feet of distance between us._

"_So you're also a mutant, Viktor." I said, giving him a look of loathing disgust. "You are a selfish hypocrite." I was hurt and I was beyond angry; I used those feelings to fuel my ability. I felt him fighting against me. Viktor just looked at me blankly. "So you have nothing to say for yourself? No apology for needlessly breaking my heart?"_

_Then, I did something completely unlike me. I punched Viktor square in the mouth with every bit of pissed off energy I could find from every corner of my being. All of the hurt, the loneliness, the betrayal exploded through my fist. I could finally hurt him back._

_I wasn't the only one leaving this hotel room with a bruise._

_Viktor groaned and spat blood onto the floor. "Damn, Jenny." He muttered, rubbing his jaw tenderly with one clawed hand. "Didn't know you had it in 'ya."_

_And for underestimating me, I punched him again._

"_I'm done with that for now, Viktor." I said. "Now tell me why you're attacking me."_

"_Jenny, I-"_

"_DO NOT call me Jenny." I roared._

_Viktor shut his mouth and stared at me._

"_TELL ME." I both mentally and verbally commanded._

"_Magneto sent me to spy on you. He didn't tell me to attack. I saw you with my filthy brother last night-"_

"_Wait, your brother?" I asked, gingerly touching the back of my head; where I'd hit the door was moist and tender. I glanced at my fingers, seeing that they were coated in glistening blood. I tried to hide the fact that my energy was draining. Perhaps if I left his mind very slowly, he wouldn't notice and wouldn't move. I didn't have the strength to just hold him in front of me any longer._

"_Logan. James. Wolverine." Viktor said. "Whatever he goes by in this century."_

"_Logan is your…_brother?_" I asked in disbelief._

_Viktor scoffed. "He didn't tell you during your little outing last night?"_

_I glared ferociously at the mutant. "Do not talk to me about keeping secrets, Viktor." I snapped. "Besides, he doesn't know about us. The only person who does is Xavier." I tried to grasp how little I knew about Viktor. "You were spying on me? You work for Magneto?"_

_Viktor smiled fully at me, revealing his long, intimidating canines. His Cheshire smile unnerved me to the core. He held up his hand, shaping it as if he had a cup in his hand._

"_Janae Sullivan, there is a lot you don't know about me."_

_I watched in terrified awe and all five of his fingernails lengthened, stopping at about four or five inches long. Until that moment, I figured his only ability was super strength. Then, I knew otherwise. A scream built up in my chest and I turned to run. From out of nowhere, Viktor was in front of me. He slammed me into the wall, again by the throat. I watched in horror was he brought the nail of his index finger along my jaw, still smiling menacingly as I fought for air. He drew his nail down my neck, pressing harder and harder until I felt him pierce my skin. Moaning in pain, I felt him draw two lines together, both leaking blood. Viktor inhaled deeply._

"_Oh, Jenny… you smell delicious." He whispered into my ear. Viktor then licked my wound, his rough tongue sending agonizing waves of pain throughout my body. "I have marked you, Janae. You will always be mine."_

_

* * *

_

I came back into the present with a gasp. I brought my hand to my face and realized I'd been crying. My eyes finally landed on the Professor.

"Lilly, you are a strong, wonderful woman." He began, his kind blue eyes sympathetic. "Don't blame yourself."

I felt numb. "But…why couldn't I remember to use my powers?"

"It seems as if while you're under stress, you're too distracted to even remember you have the capability to defend yourself."

I mulled that over and accepted the tissue Xavier offered me. "Can that be improved with more training? Or perhaps different methods?" I asked.

"I don't see why not." The Professor said. He paused for a minute, staring at me and seemingly concentrating. "You're wondering if I knew about Viktor before. The answer is yes, I did. I saw him in your memories and recognized him. I did not tell you because I knew that people knowing of your abilities would be unnerving enough." He placed his hand comfortingly on my knee. "Lilly, if I can avoid suffering in any way, I try to. I would rather you either found out on your own or not at all. It causes me great displeasure to see you in this state."

I nodded, sniffing quietly. "I understand Professor, and I really appreciate your help." I stood up, using the tissue to wipe away my tears. "If you'd excuse me, I'd like to be alone for a while; I've got a lot to think about."

Xavier nodded understandingly. "Of course, Lilly. I'm very proud of you, just know that. Also, I am here if I am ever needed." I gave him a weak smile and turned to leave. "Oh, and Lilly," he said after me; I turned around. "Logan may be of assistance, too. Sometimes two people who are alone prefer to be alone together."


	13. Chapter XIII

Out of Control

Chapter XIII

By Artemis Fortuna

**Author's note: This chapter is full of fluff. I'm excited about it! I'm going to predict that I'll have this story wrapped up in 20 chapters, so we're getting close to being done. HOWEVER, do not be sad! I have a plot for a sequel! Review review review!**

For days after recovering my memories, I had nightmares. Horrible, terrifying, waking-up-in-a-sweat nightmares that reached into my soul and squeezed with a frozen grip. I would wake up panting with tears streaming down my cheeks and end up sobbing myself back to sleep into a damp pillow.

Sometimes that dreams consisted of a replay of Viktor attacking me. Usually, though, I was running around the crumbling ruins of a large city, trying to find somewhere to hide. I always heard him panting being me. Each nightmare always ended with me in the same location; with Viktor backing me into a dead-ended alley and breathing the stench of his poison into my veins. He would mark me up some more with those nails of steel and leave me bleeding on the pavement, my blood pooling around my dark, cold, lifeless eyes.

I thought you weren't supposed to die in your dreams?

* * *

Training was now back in full swing. Jean started individual sessions with me to help focus on my powers instead of only being about to defend myself physically. I worked myself as hard as possible so that when I went to sleep, I would be exhausted and too tired to dream. Of course, with my luck, no matter how mentally and physically drained I was, the nightmares always found a way to creep into my mind.

Before I knew it, we were three days from the with Magneto's Brotherhood. Nervousness was constantly knowing, pulling and twisting my gut in anticipation of the fight.

One evening, I had just taken my green contacts out, changed into some shorts and a tank top and crawled into bed with a Stephen King novel. I had just turned a page when there was a knock at my door. Before I could dash to the bathroom to put my contacts back in, my door opened and Logan stepped in. I was caught like a deer in the headlights.

"Hey there, Lils." Logan said. In one of his hands hung a grocery bag. "What's shakin'?"

"Oh, you know, just waiting for you to invite yourself into my room." I replied trying to slip into the bathroom.

"You need some privacy, Lils? Some personal time?" He asked with a chuckle. I turned back and gave him a look. "Whoah, Lils, what's up with your eyes?"

Shit.

"What do you mean, Logan?"

"Lilly, your eyes are green."

I walked up to him, looking him straight in the eyes and letting him see the true hue of my eyes.

"My name isn't Lilly Walker, Logan." I whispered, stepping closer to him. "Have brown eyes and blonde hair. I lived in California for most of my life. I was engaged."

Logan just started at me, his brows furrowed.

"I started my life over. I needed a new person because the old me died a long time about." I took his hand in mine. "You are the only person I've told."

He squeezed my hand, his eyes still locked on mine. Although my heart was pounding and adrenaline was swirling through my veins, I felt free. Logan was not running away or yelling at me.

"What are you thinking right now, Logan?" I asked, unable to read his clouded, conflicted expression.

His eyes stayed on mine for a few seconds. Slowly he drew himself closer to me until his soft lips brushed against mine. My eyes flutter closed as I wrapped my arms around his broad, muscular shoulders and pulled him closer to me. I heard the plastic sack he had been holding hit the floor with a thud as he wrapped his arms across my waist. I felt his rough hands trace circles on the skin of my lower back where my shirt had ridden up. Logan caressed my lips with his, sending the most delicious feeling throughout every cell of my body. Slowly, reluctantly, we separated. Our brown eyes met again.

"What is your real name? Logan asked, still holding me in his arms.

"Janae Walker."

"So should I start calling you Janae now?" He chuckled. "Or Jenny?"

I winced at that nickname. "No." I said a little too sharply. "I like who I've become as Lilly. Janae was weak and frail and afraid. That's not who I am now."

I glanced at the plastic bag lying discarded on the floor at our feet. "What's in the bag?"

Logan bent and picked it up. From inside he pulled out a bottle of white wine, a package of Twizzlers and a DVD.

"I figured I'd actually have to tempt you into kissing me." He said with a smile.

I took the DVD out of his hand. "Dawn of the Dead, huh?"

"Yup."

I nodded with a smile, walking over to the DVD player and inserting the disc. Once the title menu came up, I turned back to Logan. He was sitting at the food of my bed, looking beyond appetizing in his gray flannel shirt opened at the top and fitted denim jeans.

"You got any glasses for wine?" Logan asked me as I took a seat next to him. I shook my head. In response, he simply ripped the cork out of the wine bottle with his teeth then spit it out and took a swig straight from the bottle. I smiled a shook my head.

"Classy." He shut my smart mouth up with a kiss.

Logan and I watched the movie together, snacking on the Twizzlers and gulping the wine. His arm was around my shoulders and I rested my right hand on his thigh. By the end of the movie, the wine bottle lay forgotten on top of the empty Twizzlers wrapper. I turned to look at Logan as credits scrolled across the TV screen. He was gorgeous. The brown eyes that met mine were contemplating and hopeful. His scruffy facial hair coated his jaw. His lips looked soft and smooth. I leaned in a pressed my own to his.

In a flash, the kiss became deeper. Our tongue touched and Logan's breath became louder and heavier. He gently pushed me onto my back and placed himself on top of me between my legs. His whole body on top of mine felt amazing. I ran my nails up and down his back as our tongue clashed together. Logan brushed his hands down my sides and slipped his coarse fingers underneath my tank top.

We broke apart briefly and out eyes met. I was panting and so was Logan. In that moment I'd never wanted, no; needed anyone so badly. For the longest time, this ache had been burning inside me, smoldering deep inside of my core. And as Logan peeled off my clothes damp from sweat, I knew that every ache I'd ever had was about to be alleviated.

* * *

I woke up later naked and tangled in sheets with Logan's arm draped across my waist, snoring quietly. I turned from my stomach on to my side so I was facing him. Studying his relaxed face, I found smaller, less noticeable things about Logan. For instance, he had scruff coming in, even though I was pretty sure I'd noticed he had shaved his face not too long ago. He also had tiny, barely noticeable scars scattered about his upper body. I made a mental note to ask him how it was possible for him to scar at a later point. Logan has the arm that wasn't around my middle folded by his chest. I gently took it into my hands, running my thumb across his knuckles, marveling that three blades could emerge through his skin and never leave one single mark. I pulled his knuckles to my lips and kissed them softly. I felt Logan stir, but I only pulled myself closer to his body, planting my lips on his bare shoulder blades. I moved up to his neck and pressed my lips into the hollow behind his ear, my bare breasts pressing against his back. Logan let out a low moan. I caught his ear lobe in between my teeth and before I knew it, Logan had me on my back and was on top of me, smothering my lips with his.

I forgot my problems all over again.

* * *

"Lils."

I groaned sleepily.

"Hey, Lils." Logan said, shaking me gently. "Get up. It's time for training."

I rolled out of bed, running a hand through my messy dark hair. Logan tosses me a bra, underwear, a tank top and a pair of sweats. I muttered thanks as I slipped them on and trudged into my bathroom. As I was brushing my hair, Logan came in and wrapped his muscular arms around my waist, kissing my neck tenderly. I set my brush down and met his eyes in the mirror.

I felt like Logan and I were a good match.

After brushing my teeth, putting on a touch of makeup and slipping in my green contacts, I headed towards the door. Logan was blocking it, looking like the most attractive brick wall I'd ever seen.

"I like your eyes better brown." He said seriously.

I looked down. Viktor said he's loved my dark eyes, too.

Logan put his palm to my cheek and angled my head so I was looking him in the eyes. "You can still be Lilly and look like Janae." He whispered.

My heart fluttered in my chest. Logan was perfect. Then he kissed me so tenderly, my heart ached.

_We_ were perfect.


	14. Chapter XIV

Out of Control

Chapter XIV

By Artemis Fortuna

**Author's note: This chapter contains the battle, and the essential climax of the story. I hope I can make all of the fighting sequences realistic enough to suit everyone. This is the last chapter of the story, but there will be an epilogue. I really really hope everyone likes this. Prepare for a sequel! Review please!**

The day before the battle was met with both apprehension and excitement. _Normal_ people like Jean, Rogue, Scott, Kurt and I felt uneasy and unprepared. Logan and Storm, however, were both completely untroubled. I expected it from Logan, but Storm's cool confidence took me by surprise.

"We have the upper hand, Lilly." She said as we walked from the training room after running the battle simulation for the umpteenth time. "Magneto is weak where we are strong."

I wished I could share her fortitude.

Because we really didn't really have a specific time to meet in the clearing, the X-Men as a team had decided to make camp there overnight with half of us on watch while the other half slept. I would be with the scientist and a few others in a safe house underground about 40 miles from the clearing. We would sit out the battle until we received word from one of the X-Men that it was safe to emerge.

Dinner that night was very tense, and hardly anyone ate. Well, except Logan. Like Storm, he was filled to the brim with confidence, but wasn't as subtle about it. Everyone else was uneasy and anxious and seemed to avoid any eye contact whatsoever.

After a pointless and unfinished dinner, Storm, Jean, Scott, Xavier and Logan led me deep into the Institute, into a circular room filled with black leather suits on display. Above each suit was a silver plaque engraved with names; Storm, Wolverine, Cyclops, Nightcrawler. Each one I associated with a familiar face. Finally, my green eyes landed on a blank plate.

"That one is yours, Lilly." The Professor said, rolling himself next to me. We both faced the suit. "Do you have a name in mind?"

I thought for a moment, and then nodded. "Psyche."

"Very well." The Professor said. "Scott?"

From behind me, Scott shot a red beam over my shoulder. When he was finished, my new name as a member of the X-Men was engraved neatly.

"Suit up and prepare to depart," said Xavier. "We leave in 30 minutes."

* * *

My suit felt like it was made for my body. It molded to my every curve, yet felt and breathed like air. I twisted my dark hair into a braid and put in a pair of fresh contacts. I glanced at myself in the mirror, taking in my appearance as a member of the X-Men. The only flaw in my reflection was the V-shaped scar on my neck. I only packed a few items into my small duffel bag: my phone, its charger and a walkie-talkie. Strapped to my hip, thighs and upper arms were knives and handguns given to me by the Institute.

I had sat on my bed for hours reviewing the file on the mutants belonging to Magneto's Brotherhood. There were four that we were aware of who had publicly allied themselves with Magneto: Viktor, Mystique, who could alter her voice and appearance to mimic virtually anybody, the Scarlet Witch, who could affect probability fields, her twin brother, Quicksilver, who could run at inhuman speeds, and Toad, a sniveling little man with a protracting tongue and extreme jumping abilities. We clearly had the advantage when it came to numbers, but I was terrified my powers would drown in a pool of adrenaline when I came to fighting.

Logan let himself into my room just as I slipped my last knife into my belt.

"Hey stranger." He said, striding up to my and planting a kiss on my lips. My stomach did somersaults. "You look smokin' in the suit. Leather is your thing, Lils."

I rolled my eyes. "Thanks." I said, wrapped my arms around his waist and rested my head on his broad chest. His heart beat in a steady, bold, comforting rhythm. "I'm scared, Logan. I have a horrible feeling that things are going to go wrong."

He kissed the top of my head. "Oh, Lils. You're tough. This shit will be over before you know it."

* * *

"The battle we are about to initiate determines the fate of mankind. If we fail, Magneto's neurotoxin will target every human on the planet and eliminate them on contact. The X-Men must protect Dr. Freedmen at all costs. Lilly, Kurt and Scott will be with him at the safe house."

The whole team was in the aircraft, briefing before our departure. We were all gathered in a semicircle around the Professor, listening intently. He turned and made eye contact with me, Kurt and Scott.

"You three are vital." Xavier said. "It is imperative that you three function as a team. If your location is leaked out, you all must do whatever it takes to protect Dr. Freedmen."

We all nodded. My heart was pounding in my chest, pumping adrenaline through my veins. Waves of dread washed over me like an never ending tide. I wanted to get this over with.

After the Professor discussed battle strategies with everyone who would be in the clearing, Storm maneuvered the aircraft out of the hangar and we glided towards the safe house where we would be dropped off.

My eyes landed on Kurt distractedly. Sitting between Rogue and Jean, Kurt had his eyes tightly shut; his rosary clutched between his fingers, muttering a prayer to himself.

I closed my eyes and did the mental warm-ups I usually did before training sessions. I focused my energy and took deep breaths in and out, trying to soothe my trembling heart.

Time flew by too quickly for my liking. Before long, Storm was landing the plane and I was numbly unbuckling my seatbelt. Xavier gave us some form of comforting phrase as we exited down the ramp, but I couldn't hear him over the thundering of my heart. Logan and I made eye contact; the glance he gave me granted me reassurance beyond anything the Professor could say.

Kurt, Scott, Dr. Freedmen and I watched Storm guide the plane away. It quickly disappeared over the tree line. The area we were in was a completely random spot of forest; tall pine trees, knee-high yellowing grass, spots of the evening sun streaming through. A few feet to my right, a very wide tree was marked with a red plastic ribbon around it. The four of us crunched through the dry grass, our breath creating cloud of condensation in the frigid evening air. As we approached the tree, the last rays of warm, golden sunlight illuminated a hardly noticeable latch in the center of the tree. It was impossible to open from the outside. Kurt teleported himself inside and unlocked the door, allowing us entrance.

We entered through the tiny doorway and stepped down a flight of narrow stairs. I lead, with Kurt behind me, Dr. Freemen behind him and Scott last. All of our shoes clicked on the tile floors that lead us to the room we'd be spending the next few hours in. The room consisted of several office chairs, monitors hooked up with the security cameras stealthily mounted around our hideout. It was a windowless, circular room lit by bright fluorescent lights.

Our only duty at that point was to sit and wait.

* * *

Twenty minutes after being dropped off, we got word that the plan had landed safely.

Two hours later we got word that there had been no movement or signs at all of the Brotherhood.

Five hours later, after almost eight hours of sitting in that bright, windowless room, static came through out walkie-talkie and echoed off of the metal walls.

"Magneto…here…ambush…get ready…get you!" Was all we could understand through the interrupting static. Instantly, my heart was pounding in my throat.

"Scott?" I asked, turning towards him. He had been declared the unspoken leader of our small group.

"Keep an eye on the monitors." He said with confidence. "Those should alert us when they are-"

All at once, the monitors went dark, followed by the lights. Standing in the dark was more unnerving than I could describe in words.

Suddenly the room began to shake violently, rocking back and forth. The leather office chairs rolled from one side of the room to the other as the rest of us struggled to stay on our feet.

"Stay close to the doctor!" Scott yelled over the crashing of the monitors. "Protect him!"

I stumbled over to Dr. Freedmen, my legs feeling useless and Jello-like with the shaking of our not-so-safe house. He clutched me with an iron-like grip as I pulled him into a standing position and let him lean against me for support.

A weightless sensation spread through my gut as the room was hurled upward and then slammed abruptly into the ground. My head slammed against the tile floor and stars shot through my line of vision. Warm blood matted my hair to my forehead. I groaned and groped around blindly in the dark for the doctor.

"Kurt? Scott? Dr. Freedmen?" I called into the darkness, trying to make out any shapes at all.

"Lilly?" I heard a groan to my right. Dragging myself by my elbows, I felt around until my hand reached another hand with only three thick fingers.

"Kurt." I whispered, my head pounding. "Are you okay?"

He groaned. "I'll be fine. Find the doctor."

Before I could reply, all four of us were blinded by white, scorching light. The top of the room had been ripped off as if it were made of paper. As my eyes adjusted to the blazing light, the cold air of the early morning began billowing and blowing around me, chilling me straight to the core. I located the doctor across the room from me and darted over to him, grabbing onto his arm tightly.

Straight above our heads, a figure floated. It was cloaked and wearing a large metal helmet.

"Hand over the doctor, Lilly Walker," Magneto's voice boomed over the treetops. I was surprised his voice was not lost in the wind whirling about. "And no one will be harmed."

I glanced over to Kurt and Scott. They both nodded at me. "Over my dead body." I snarled.

"Very well." Magneto said, raising his hand. Instantly, what was left of the room was flattened into the ground, leaving the only things standing me, Kurt, the doctor and Scott. With the walls out of the way, I noticed the only backup Magneto brought was Viktor. Unwanted goosebumps raced across my skin. I figured the other members of the Brotherhood were in the clearing, holding off the rest of the X-Men. How our location leaked out was beyond me.

"Viktor," Magneto said, lowering himself back to the ground. The icy wind slowed to a halt. "Do not fight to kill. It is the First Law to never kill another mutant." He focused his cold gray eyes on mine. "Obtain the doctor."

A split-second later, Viktor was charging at us on all fours. Scott unleashed a red-hot beam in his direction, which Viktor dodged by inches. Kurt grabbed the doctor and disappeared in a cloud of blue smoke, reappearing fifty feet away. I stood still, not taking my eyes off of Viktor as he hurtled toward me, his eyes almost glowing in fury. Suddenly, without notice, he stopped as if he'd run into a brick wall. Viktor lay crumpled on the ground, groaning in pain.

My eyes were glowing red.

"Lilly," Magneto said, suddenly behind me. "You've improved your abilities." He paused. "I am impressed."

"I do not care what you think." I spat, venom dripping from my words. I shot some of my figurative mind bullets in his direction, but instead of him falling to the ground, it was me falling to my knees, clutching my head.

"Oh, Lilly. This helmet is a barrier." He tapped his metal helmet.

Magneto was then illuminated from behind by a bright red light, outlining his silhouette for a moment before he was flung forcefully on top of me. With a groan of disgust, I clambered away from him.

"You okay, Lilly?" Scott said, sprinting up to me.

I nodded, wiping sweat mixed with blood from my brow. "Where's the doctor?"

Scott pointed upwards, into the trees.

Teleporting from branch to branch was Kurt, clutching a whimpering Dr. Freedmen. Leaping from branch to branch behind them was Viktor, looking menacing and cat-like with the way he soared through the air. I knew if one of us didn't step in soon, Viktor would catch up and have the doctor in his clutches.

"I can't get a clear shot without risking hitting Kurt and the doctor." Scott said with his hand on the side of the device on his face.

"I'll try." I said.

Not sure how far my abilities could reach, I focused my vision on Viktor, following his leaps and bounds with my glowing eyes.

He fell from the trees like a rock and landed with a thud. I couldn't help but to smile proudly for myself. My smile was gone, however, when I saw a blue blur plummet from the trees and land on the ground, unmoving. _Kurt!_ My eyes scanned the trees for the doctor.

My eyes landed on the doctor. I found no relief, if you can believe it. He was floating next to Magneto, wrapped in a scrap of metal, seemingly unconscious.

Kurt was down, Scott could risk using his beams, and my ability couldn't penetrate Magneto's thick helmet.

With no other source of help, I closed my eyes and thought as loudly as I could.

_Professor! Kurt is down and the doctor is in Magneto's possession. We need backup!_

After holding off Magneto for as long as we could, I saw Logan and Rogue emerge from a cluster of trees, followed close behind by a petite little man who I assumed was Toad. Logan ran straight over to me and placed a kiss on my forehead.

"I'm so glad you're here, Logan." I panted. "I was so scared you were dead." Then I laughed at myself. Logan couldn't die.

He gave me a tight, reassuring hug and placed his lips on mine. In the heat of battle, with Magneto sending metal flying all over the place and chaos being the ruling factor, the scene was almost beautiful.

Suddenly, Logan stiffened in my arm and our kiss was cut short.

My back was on fire. Not literally, but the pain I experienced was beyond words. My eyes went wide and my jaw dropped as I tried to gasp for air.

"Janae Sullivan," a familiar husky voice whispered in my ear. "You will forever be mine." Viktor retracted his nails from my back.

I fell to my knees and then onto my side with a groan.

"Lilly!" Logan said, dropping down next to me, pain sketched across his face.

Seeing that Logan was emotionally unable to fight off Viktor at the time, Scott came to take care of him.

My head felt light and my fingers and toes were tingling. Keeping my eyes open felt almost impossible, but I did it regardless. I knew that I was dying and I knew I wanted Logan to be the last person I saw. I felt a teardrop splatter on my cheek.

"Logan," I whispered. Breathing hurt so badly. I noticed the pooling of my blood around me, contrasting with the frigid morning air. The sun was just beginning to rise, but the day had not started warming up yet.

Logan put a warm hand on the clammy skin of my face, his brown eyes rimmed in red. "Don't go, Lilly." He murmured, placing a kiss on my forehead gently. "We've only just gotten started."

I smiled serenely at him, not even aware of the pain anymore. My vision was rapidly fading and the tingling had continued on to my shoulders and hips. Tears spilled over as I put my hand on top of his. I felt my heart feebly beating within my chest and knew that its energy was almost gone. Each breath I took was smaller than the last.

I did not have any last words. No legacy, no vengeful demands or spontaneous romantic phrases. When I died, I simply held my eyes onto Logan's until my breath was gone and holding on much longer wasn't an option.

Finally, I let the darkness take me.


	15. Epilogue

Out of Control

Epilogue

By Artemis Fortuna

**Authors Note: Dear faithful readers: Thank you so much for following Lilly Walker in Out of Control. Thank you for the encouraging reviews and support. This is the first fan fiction I've ever completed. Let me know what you think of Lilly, her relationship with Logan and Viktor, how well [or not well] I kept Logan in character, and what you thought of my abrupt unhappy ending. I chose to take my readers by surprise to keep them hooked. I am planning on starting the sequel sometime soon. If you have any cool titles, let me know. :]**

**Also, if anyone is looking for a beta, I would love to help people with their stories. On that note, please check out my friend Krys's [username _] Harry Potter fictions. I am her beta.**

**Enjoy!**

Lilly Walker's funeral was an event full of reverence, elegance, love and memorial. The weather was perfect: clear sky, crisp, frigid air, a light caressing breeze. Her casket was constructed of a pale wood with paisley designs engraved on the sides. A bouquet of white lilies and red roses lay on top of the coffin. She was to be buried in the center of the garden at the Institute, surrounded by flourishing, lively flowers whose fragrance floated and swirled about the gravel walkways and tinkling fountains.

The entire Institute attended, but the row closest to the casket consisted of the people who knew her best. Due to the circumstances, her family was not there. The front row consisted of the X-Men: Storm, dressed in a black pantsuit with silent tears tracking down her coffee-colored cheeks; Kurt, adorning a cast on his right arm, his head wrapped in bandages; Scott, his head bowed and hand entwined with Jean's, who sat with her eyes closed and her face towards the sky, her red, flaming hair pulled out of her grief-stricken face. Logan sat at the end of the row, wearing a black button-up flannel shirt with a pair of denim jeans tucked into a pair of boots. The man seemed emotionless with his hands clenched into fists, his knuckles turning white.

Charles Xavier sat in front of the attendees on a raised platform, next to Lilly's casket. He wore his best suit, with glistening new shows and the head of a rose pinned to his jacket. His bright blue eyes scanned the audience, taking in all of the grief, mourning and misery around him. Finally, he rolled himself up to the microphone. Everyone fell silent.

"Lilly Walker was an extraordinarily talented, beautiful human being. The trials and obstacles she overcame were tremendous. Lilly carried numerous secrets that weighed her down and burdened her everyday life, but never let them hinder her attitude or her ability to love others."

Logan has a hard time paying attention to the Professor's kind words. The only thing going through his mind was the image of Lilly lying in that coffin all alone, with her slender, pale hands crossed over her still heart; the picture of her dark hair framing a face with cheeks that would never flush crimson again. Her contacts were out and she would be buried with her natural, gorgeous brown eyes. Logan wondered spitefully why every woman he loved was taken away from him. His dark eyes looked up into the clear blue sky, cursing whatever God was up there. Why kind of a God would put one single being through so much turmoil and torture?

Xavier had concluded his speech and guided himself off of the platform as the coffin was lowered into the ground. Dirt was piled on top of her until Lilly Walker was nothing more than a pile of soil in the ground.

* * *

On November 6, 2011, Magneto's Brotherhood released an airborne neurotoxin from hovering helicopters hundreds of feet over every major city on the globe. Hours later, every human man, woman and child clutched their throats and gasped a final breath before dying as quickly as a candle being snuffed out. In one day, almost two thirds of Earth's population had been exterminated.

Within the months that followed, Magneto's New Order set up a makeshift government. Elite, strong, ruthless members made up the law enforcement squad with Viktor Creed in command. For an evil ruler, Magneto was mostly fair. His only law was that mutants do not kill mutants; their blood, their very essence of being was golden and prized. However, when Magneto's back was turned, his law enforcement squads were power-hungry. They patrolled for humans or mutants harboring humans. Even if _suspected_ of treason, punishment was merciless. Outside of human purging and mutant safety, there were no rules. Mutants ignored the laws that had once existed. Stealing, vandalism and even murder went unpunished as long as it didn't involve humans. Some of the more powerful mutants (psychics, elementals and such) horded items that were necessities such as food, clothes and soap and sold them for other items. The ones who weren't interested in the trouble went into hiding to protect themselves and their loved ones.

Xavier's Institute appeared to be in a constant state of mourning. Lilly's death was just the tip of the iceberg. Every human that every mutant had ever known was dead; families, friends and loved ones. Magneto had constructed a truce with Xavier: the Institute and all of its students would be safe from law enforcement as long as human survivors were left out of the picture.

Surprisingly, there were human survivors. If a human had ever received any form of a blood, bone marrow or plasma donation from a mutant, they survived. The mutant DNA bonded with theirs, rendering them slightly mutant themselves. Depending on the amount of matter received, the human might have traces of abilities, and in rare cases, parts of the donator's personality. Or, though extremely unlikely, if a human somehow strapped on a gas mask as they saw everyone around them suffocating and collapsing around them.

Ultimately, society was in shambles. Ninety-nine percent of Earth's beings were mutants. The number of leftover humans was dwindling day by day.

The remainder of the world's population was one chaotic mass heading straight to the deepest pits of hell.


End file.
